ARMY WARNS OF NEW THREAT: ENERGY DRINKS

[12/31/16] The US military is warning against the danger of troops over consuming energy drinks, saying it could do “some serious harm to your body.”

A post on the pentagon’s official science blog this week details the health risks involved, citing a report that found soldiers in the field were more likely to fall asleep on duty if they consumed multiple beverages a day.

The study by the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, titled “Energy drink consumption and its association with sleep problems among US service members on a combat deployment,” looked at data from over 1,000 soldiers and Marines conducting operations in Afghanistan in 2010.

The research found that nearly 45 percent of deployed military personnel consumed at least one energy drink daily, while nearly 14 percent reported drinking three or more per day.

“These products generally are unregulated and can have negative side effects,” the report said. “Those who drank three or more drinks a day also were more likely to report sleep disruption related to stress and illness and were more likely to fall asleep during briefings or on guard duty.”